Christmas Surprise
by autumnrose2010
Summary: Based on the episode 'The Spirit' from season 8. Elizabeth develops feelings for Paul, the escaped German POW who'd been hiding out on Walton's Mountain.
1. Meeting Paul

The joyous sounds of caroling had died down, and Elizabeth knew that it was almost time for her older brother to take Paul away to face the consequences of his actions. When the young man had arrived unexpectedly at her family's Christmas celebration, bearing a small, undecorated tree and a tale of Martin Luther, she'd been enchanted with not only his good looks but also his gentle, mild demeanor. But a war was waging, one in which Paul was on the wrong side.

"Wait!" she cried as her uniform-clad brother stepped outside with their uninvited guest. Two pairs of eyes turned to stare at her in surprise.

"Does he really have to go to prison?" she asked her brother.

"It's all right," Paul said bravely. "One day the war will be over, and I'll be free again."

"But who knows when that will ever be!" Although she'd only just met the young man, she was genuinely concerned for him. She'd heard horror stories about the way prisoners of war were treated.

"It's Elizabeth, right?" Paul smiled. "It won't be long, and I'll write to you, if you'd like."

"Oh, yes, I _would _like!" she exclaimed.

He laughed indulgently. She wrote her address down for him, and he pocketed it with a wave farewell.

After he'd left, she felt foolish. He was a grown man, a young one, granted, but grown nonetheless, while she was still a school girl. What did he think of her now? She must have come across as some kind of lovesick puppy. Would he really write to her? Or would he just laugh the whole thing off?

* * *

She thought about him every single day for the remainder of the Christmas vacation. When the spring term started, she walked to school with Aimee Godsey like she usually did.

"Why are you so quiet?" Aimee asked her.

"I met this guy," Elizabeth told her. "His name's Paul, and he's German, but you'd never guess it. When he was young, his family lived here in the United States for a long time, so he sounds just like us when he talks. He escaped from a POW camp and was hiding in the woods close to our house. Jeffrey found him and invited him over for Christmas. After that, my brother took him back to the POW camp."

"So you're in love with a German?" Elizabeth could hear the disapproval in her friend's voice.

"I only just met him," she replied. "But I really like him a lot, and I hope to see him again some day."

"I can't believe that with all the American soldiers around, you'd actually fall for a _German," _Aimee snorted.

"He's a really nice guy," Elizabeth argued. "If you'd met him, you'd like him, too."

"Oh, I seriously doubt _that." _

Elizabeth was soon so involved in school work that she'd pushed Paul to the back of her mind. In January her niece, Virginia, was born. She went to the hospital to meet the baby, and as she held the warm, soft bundle and looked into the unfocused dark blue eyes, she wondered whether she'd ever be a mother herself. For some reason that made her think of Paul, and she felt an unfamiliar pang inside.

A few days later it finally came. Her first letter from Paul.


	2. Letters

Hoping that the bedroom she shared with Erin would be unoccupied, Elizabeth hurried into the house with the letter. To her relief, it was. She sat on the edge of the bed and eagerly tore the envelope open.

_Dear Elizabeth, _

_Finally I am settled and have time to write to you. The place where I'm staying is a former hospital that was converted into a prison camp. Except for meals and half an hour a day for exercise, my entire life is spent in a tiny cell with a cot which has an upper and lower bunk. I also have a roommate. His name is Ernest, and he's a few years older than me. He's married and has three children. He's lying in the upper bunk writing a letter to his wife as I write to you._

_I suppose I should consider myself fortunate in that I don't also have a wife and children to be separated from, but all I can think about is that right now my father would be sitting in his easy chair reading while my mother would be clearing away the dinner dishes and my little brother Mathias would be playing. If I were there, I'd probably be outside doing chores._

_It's funny how you never really notice how much your family means to you until you can't be with them anymore. In the little bit of time I spent with your family, I could tell that you all love each other very much. It's the same way with my own family. I hope that you can always be together.  
_

_Well, I guess that's it for now. Please take care and give your family my greetings._

_Warmest regards,_

_Paul Brimmer  
_

As she read the letter, Elizabeth felt terribly sad for Paul. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to be completely separated from everyone she loved. Whatever wrong he'd done, was it deserving of such punishment?

She wrote back to him right after dinner that night.

_Dear Paul,_

_I was very happy to get your letter. Things are pretty much back to normal around here. My brothers are back fighting in the war, and Erin and I are back in school. I have a new teacher named Miss Lamphere. I like her a lot, but I recently learned that she's very ill and may not have much longer to live._

_On a happier note, I'm an aunt again now. Ben and Cindy's little girl was born just a few weeks ago. Her name's Virginia, and she's so sweet! She has big blue eyes and a tiny tuft of red hair on top of her head._

_John Curtis is getting bigger every day. He's into everything, but he's a happy little boy. He's too young to remember his father, of course._

_Your letter made me feel very sad. I can tell how lonely you are and how much you miss your family. I hope that the war ends soon and you can go back to them. In the meantime, remember that God is always there._

_Please take care and write whenever you can._

_Your friend,_

_Elizabeth Walton_

She took the letter to the post office the next day and mailed it, hoping that Paul would be happy to get it and that it would make him feel less lonely.


	3. Free At Last

**August 1945**

Elizabeth waited with the rest of her family at the train station for Paul to arrive. The war had finally ended, and her friend had been released from the POW camp where he'd been held prisoner for the past year and a half.

At sixteen, Elizabeth had grown to be a graceful, willowy woman. She'd written to Paul faithfully for the entire time he'd been imprisoned, and he'd written back to her whenever he could. Her father had offered the young man a job at the saw mill when he was released, and now the entire family awaited his return to Walton's Mountain.

At last the train arrived, and Elizabeth watched with the others as the passengers got off. She recognized him as soon as she saw him. He looked a bit thinner and paler, but other than that, he hadn't changed much at all.

"Welcome back to Walton's Mountain!" John exclaimed with a wide, friendly grin as he shook the new arrival's hand.

"Thank you very much for offering me a place to stay, and employment," Paul replied. John had offered to let him stay in John-Boy's old bedroom until he could find a place of his own. "I am grateful for your offer of hospitality."

"We would never turn our backs on someone in need," Olivia told him. She'd recovered from tuberculosis and was once again living in the family home.

Paul greeted Jim-Bob and Erin and then turned to Elizabeth. "Elizabeth!" He took her hands and gazed into her eyes. "You're beautiful!" he said softly.

She blushed and looked down. "I kept all your letters," she said softly.

"I kept all yours too," he said. Quickly he retrieved one and showed it to her. It was the most recent one she'd written, right after Germany had surrendered. She'd felt awkward, unsure of what to say, while writing it. Although happy that the war had ended and that the Allies had won, she'd feared hurting Paul's feelings if she mentioned his own country's defeat, so she'd quickly skimmed over the subject.

"I read it over and over again on the train," Paul continued. "I couldn't wait to see the lovely lady who'd been writing to me all this time again."

Upon their arrival home, Paul was busy getting settled in for most of the afternoon. Elizabeth would have offered to help but was afraid of getting in the way.

Around the dinner table that evening, Paul was the center of attention, of course. Jim-Bob especially quizzed him on his experiences in the prison camp. Every so often, his eyes drifted to Elizabeth, and she got the feeling that he wanted to talk to her but didn't want to seem rude to the rest of the family.

After dinner the family sat in the living room and continued the conversation until it was time to go to bed. Elizabeth had a hard time falling asleep that night, knowing that instead of being thousands of miles away, Paul was in a bedroom right down the hall. As she hugged her pillow, she fantasized that she was hugging him instead.

The following morning, she slept in later than usual and had to wait to get into the bathroom. Assuming that either Jim-Bob or Erin was dawdling, she waited for what she thought was a reasonable amount of time before banging impatiently on the door. "Hurry up in there, will ya?' she shouted.

A moment later, the door opened and Paul stepped out. "I am sorry. I did not mean to inconvenience you."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Elizabeth stammered, her face beet red. "I didn't know it was you..."

But he'd already gone.

Mortified, she wondered how she'd get through the rest of the morning.


	4. Meeting The Godseys

She went to the table to find that Paul was already there. He looked up and grinned at her. She opened her mouth to say something, but he beat her to it.

"Come sit with me, Elizabeth," he said. "I'd enjoy the company."

Gratefully she sat with him and ate breakfast. "So, what shall we do today?" he asked. He didn't start work at the sawmill until the following week.

"Hm...want to go fishing?" Elizabeth suggested.

"Fishing! I haven't even been since before the war!" Paul looked jubilant.

"We didn't go much during the war, either," said Elizabeth. After breakfast, they grabbed fishing poles and headed for the river. Soon they were sitting together on the bank, waiting for a bite.

"So, what did you think of the way the war ended?" asked Paul.

Elizabeth just sat for a moment, wondering how she should answer him, afraid she would say the wrong thing.

"I was glad to hear that it was finally over," she said at last. "Although I was sorry for all the suffering and death on both sides."

They sat in silence for awhile, listening to the sounds of nature and swatting at insects. "How do you feel about it?" Elizabeth asked after a few minutes.

"Much the same as you," Paul replied. "Although it breaks my heart to see my homeland divided in two, half of it now under Communist control. I was horrified when the full extent of what Hitler had done came to light. I don't consider his death to have been a loss. I think it was fitting that his end came about as it did."

Elizabeth had seen photographs of concentration camp inmates, and it had sickened her. She didn't blame Paul or his family because she knew that they were just as saddened by the Nazi atrocities as she was, but she couldn't help but wonder how the citizens of the Axis countries could have been so blind to them for so long.

"Why did your family move back to Germany after living in the United States for so long?" she asked her friend.

"My parents began to miss their homeland, the music, the food, and most of all, my aunts and uncles."

"And how did you get involved in the war?"

"The same way your brothers did. My country needed me, and I answered its call. My father was always very loyal to the Kaiser."

"What's that?"

Paul chuckled. "Who, not what. Kaiser Wilhelm II was my country's last monarch. He was forced to abdicate when my father was about as old as I am now. My father has always wanted to see his family restored to power."

"I suppose there's not much of a chance of that happening now," Elizabeth said.

"Of course not. Hitler issued a decree insuring that that will never happen. He hated the Hohenzollerns."

"The _what?" _

"My country's rightful rulers." Paul sounded so sad that Elizabeth felt sorry for him and wanted to cheer him up.

"Maybe later on we can visit some of the neighbors," she suggested. "You'll love the Godsey's store. I've been going there since I was too young to remember. I used to love to get gumballs from there when I was little."

Paul caught four fish and Elizabeth caught two. They took them home and Paul cleaned them and Olivia promised to cook them for dinner that night.

After lunch, Elizabeth took Paul to the Godsey's store and introduced him to Ike and Corabeth. "It's a pleasure to meet you, young man!" Ike exclaimed with his usual exuberance.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, sir," Paul replied. "And you too, ma'am."

"Are you one of the soldiers returning from the war?" asked Corabeth. "It was such a horrid thing. We were all so happy when we finally heard that the Germans had surrendered!"

"I am," Paul said softly, not meeting her eyes.

Just then Aimee appeared. "Hi, Elizabeth!" She looked at Paul curiously.

"This is Paul," Elizabeth told her. "He was just released from a prisoner of war camp."

"Hello." Aimee's eyes met Paul's and lingered there.

"Hi," he said, returning the gaze.

Elizabeth felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.


	5. Elizabeth's Birthday

"That must have been just horrible, to have been imprisoned!" Aimee exclaimed.

Paul gave a slight smile. "I was very glad to be released."

"Those awful Germans!" Aimee shook her head. "I sure hope they didn't torture you!"

"Not unless you count being separated from your home and everyone you love as torture."

"Oh, you poor thing!" said Aimee. "Well, I'm glad you're free at last!"

Paul smirked. "So am I."

As soon as they were outside the store, Paul grinned and handed something to Elizabeth. She saw that it was a gumball.

"Thanks!" she said, popping it into her mouth. "So, what did you think of her?" she asked a little while later.

"Corabeth? To be honest, I wasn't that impressed with her. Is she always so snooty? It seems unnatural somehow, like she's pretending to be something she isn't. I really like her husband. He seems much more genuine."

Elizabeth laughed. "That's just the way Corabeth is. We're all used to it, but I was really talking about Aimee."

Paul shrugged. "She's all right, I guess. But I've always preferred redheads to blondes."

Elizabeth was immensely relieved.

Paul started working at the saw mill the following week as planned, and not long after that, Elizabeth began her last year of high school. She was happy to be back in class, as her life had gotten considerably more boring with Paul away at work every day. The morning of the first day of school, Paul was getting ready to leave with John when she came to the breakfast table.

"So today's the big day, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said softly.

"Nervous?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Not really." Her marks had been at the top of the class the previous year.

"You'll do fine. I know you will." He kissed her cheek before leaving, and she had a smile on her face for the rest of the morning.

* * *

Paul found a small house near the Waltons to move into. Elizabeth spent most of one weekend helping him pack.

"It's gonna be really different not having you around the house anymore," she told him.

He touched her cheek. "I'll be right nearby. It's not like I'm moving to California."

"Yeah, I know."

He came to her and put his arms around her. Surprised but elated, she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'll still come around a lot, I promise."

The weather turned cooler, and the leaves changed color and began to fall from the trees. One chilly morning was the start of a very special day for Elizabeth.

"Good morning, birthday girl!" John greeted his youngest daughter.

"It's so hard to believe you're eighteen years old now!" Olivia exclaimed.

She'd made her daughter's favorite breakfast, blueberry pancakes. "Thanks, Mom," Elizabeth said as she gobbled them down.

Aimee was waiting to walk to school with her as usual. "Happy birthday!" she cried. "This is for you."

Elizabeth opened the package her friend handed her to find a pair of pearl earrings inside. "Thank you!" she said as she gave her friend a hug.

When Elizabeth got home from school that day, her parents gave her her birthday presents from them. Her father had given her a copy of the novel 'Gone With The Wind.'

"I remember how you liked the movie," he told her. "I thought you might enjoy reading the book as well."

Olivia had knitted her daughter a sweater for her birthday. "It's beautiful, and so soft!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Thank you!" She hugged both her parents.

About thirty minutes before dinnertime, the doorbell rang. To Elizabeth's great joy, Paul stood there dressed in his nicest clothes and holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Happy birthday!" he said to Elizabeth, handing the flowers to her.

"They're lovely! Thank you!" she exclaimed.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Where?"

"I'm taking you out to dinner and a movie for your birthday." He hesitated. "If you want to go, that is."

"I'd love to," said Elizabeth. "Just let me change first."

"You look fine just as you are," Paul assured her.

"Are you sure?"

He laughed. "Of course I am!"

He took her to the nicest restaurant in town. "I've never been here before," she confessed.

"Neither have I," he said. "A co-worker at the mill told me about it."

While they waited for their meals to arrive, Elizabeth asked Paul about his childhood in Wisconsin.

"The winters are much colder there than they are here," he told her. "Some of my earliest memories are of spending the morning sledding down the hill and then coming inside to drink hot apple cider by the fireplace."

"Sounds really cozy," Elizabeth remarked. "So, did you ever have a girlfriend back in Germany?"

"There was a girl named Gretchen." Paul's eyes held a faraway look. "She sat right beside me in school, and we used to spend every spare minute in class talking to each other. She was very intelligent, just like you are, Elizabeth. We used to talk about our dreams for the future. One day she just never showed up for class. I never heard from her again."

"Gosh, that's really strange," said Elizabeth. "I wonder whatever happened to her?"

"She was Jewish," Paul said grimly.


End file.
